Two is Better than One
by InteriorMotives
Summary: Suppose the spirits had decided to bestow the gift of the avatar to another being because the last airbender, the avatar, had not been discovered. What if the avatar was discovered by the second avatar? Title WIP


**Chapter One**

**Discovery**

The four nations that have been on the earth for generations have lived in harmony. Avatar Roku, the master of all elements, had been unable to defeat his best friend, Firelord Sozin and died while attempting to fight a volcano that threatened to destroy his home. Twelve years later, Sozin, using the power of a comet, began his plans of taking over the world and destroying the other three nations, air, water and Earth. He unleashed his power on the air temples which hosted the next avatar, Aang. However, Aang escaped along with his trusty companion Appa and enclosed himself in an iceberg under the waters.

The fire nation continued their attack for a hundred years and still the Avatar had not appeared. Many had assumed he had died but the spirits knew he had not. Yet, they still doubted him ever being discovered and so the spirits decided to bestow the gift of four elements within another child, a water tribe girl who was being born the same day as Prince Zuko. They believed her to be strong minded and strong willed and would not allow anyone to harm the child. However, Aang was still the true avatar reincarnate and only he could access the avatar state, not to mention she did not have anyone to tell her she had the gift in the first place. The little girl had no knowledge of past avatars… so they thought…

**Sixteen years later…**

"Keela!" yelled a small boy around the age of six. Curly brown hair fell around his small pale face and giant green eyes looked around eagerly for the girl who he had just called for. His boots crunched the snow underneath him and he ran past tents made of blue fabric.

"Keela!" he shouted again only this time he received a reply.

"Over here Noku." A female voice rang above the bustle of the small water tribe. The little boy sprinted in the direction of the voice only to collapse into a pile of snow. His giggles could be heard, muffled by the snow and when he lifted his head, snow clung to his hair. Keela, a sixteen year old girl, turned around and laughed. Noku was her brother and he was always trying to make other laugh, even if it meant making himself look like a fool. While all the other children were gathered up by the oldest male to learn the ways of fighting, Noku would be the comic relief. The oldest boy, Sokka was always serious and trying to prove he was old enough to go fight with the waterbenders and warriors of their tribe.

The Southern water tribe had gone downhill since the departure of their warriors. Keela and Noku's father had left as well as Sokka's and Katara's. Keela, Sokka and Katara were the oldest of the children Keela being the absolute oldest. It was strange to think that boys her age had left with the warriors to fight the fire nation. It frightened her every time she thought about her father fighting firebenders. He couldn't control an element and so she felt he was at a disadvantage.

Keela leaned over and lifted little Noku onto her lap and tickled him a bit just so that she could hear him laugh. His laughter was a contagious one and so it always made her happy to hear it. "What did you want to tell me Noku?" She asked as she set him down beside her. Her brow furrowed with concern when his face suddenly went serious. There seemed to be something wrong and he was delivering a message. "What is it Noku?"

"She's coming. She's coming to see you now…" Noku said in a hushed tone. Instantly Keela was on her feet. Noku stood beside her but she instantly told him to go inside the tent and stay there until she told him to come out. Reluctantly, he obeyed.

As soon as he disappeared from sight, a female appeared followed by a few other women. She had long brown hair pulled back tightly and she seemed to have a permanent scowl on her face. She was larger than Keela but the girl remained standing tall, her hands inside her gloves sweating. She could feel the heat rising inside her chest and around her face as the woman stopped in front of her.

"Keela." She said coldly.

"Takira." Keela said softly.

Takira was one of the females in the village that seemed to have a bone to pick with everyone. Ever since Keela was born, she had been making her life as miserable as possible. Keela's Father was a widower and Takira had actually been attempting to attract him before Keela came into the picture. He'd spend most of his time with Keela and that had angered Takira. Then there was the fact that he fell in love with another woman and had Noku. Her father then left for the war bringing the woman with him as a healer, leaving Noku with Keela. Takira swore that she would get revenge on Keela for all she had put her through. Today seemed to be the day she was going to take up that promise.

Takira turned to glare at the small head poking out from the tent which withdrew back inside instantly. A cold smile appeared on her lips until she turned back to the girl. Keela swallowed only to feel her mouth go dry. Of course she was scared but she wasn't going to say anything. "It's time you learned your place outsider." She spoke, her voice like a knife slicing through butter.

"And what place is that Takira?" She asked innocently. In two swift steps forward, Takira was right in front of Keela and her hand swung back to hit the girl's face hard. She gasped and placed her hand to her face, the sudden stinging bringing tears to well up in her eyes. Her cheek was now red and only when a single tear trickled down her cheek did Takira smile.

"You don't belong here, you never did. Just because your "father" took you in when we found you on the ice doesn't mean you're one of us. You don't even look like us. If you know what's best for you, you would leave." Her words stung the most and Keela stared at her feet. Takira felt satisfied and turned around to walk away. Keela balled up her hands into fists and suddenly pulled her hands towards her. The snow right beneath the woman was pulled out from beneath her and with a yell, the water tribe female fell face first in the white snow. Keela grinned from beneath her hood and turned and walked away. She told Noku it was alright to come out but as soon as he burst forth from the tent, she was gone.

Keela stole away towards the water. Sitting down on the ice, she pulled back her hood and looked into the clear water at her reflection. It was true; she looked different than all of them. Most of the water tribe folks had brown or even black hair. She had long golden locks that traveled past her shoulders to around the middle of her back. Her eyes were also different; they were a violet color. Keela pushed a lock of hair behind her ears as a few droplets of water fell from her eyes and landed in the ocean, distorting her appearance and sending small ripples that slowly calmed down.

Footsteps were behind her and she jumped to her feet thinking that it was another attack from Takira. Her hands lowered as soon as she realized it was Sokka. Keela sat down and the young warrior sat down beside her. She wrapped her arms around her legs and stared out to the horizon. Sokka didn't say anything at first but followed her gaze for a few minutes until releasing a sigh.

"You shouldn't have to deal with this…" He said. Sokka had his moments when he wasn't trying to be funny or trying to be the best warrior in the water tribe. Sometimes he could be a great person who would listen patiently and even give meaningful advice.

"Yeah… I'm staying here because of Noku. He needs me." She said as she wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. Sokka stared at her for a moment, silence building up between them once more.

"I think it isn't just that. You need him too, but you also need to be… free. You're just a kid and yet you take on the responsibilities of an adult." He spoke.

"Look whose talking…"She said but as soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them. She turned to face him about to apologize but he held up his hand to silence her. He looked hurt but it seemed he had something more to say and so she shut her lips and remained quiet.

"I know; I'm trying to be a warrior. But I have times where I just want to be anything but. It's difficult to find out what you really want out of life. I'm just doing what I think is right, same as you but you need a break… Come fishing with Katara and I. Have Gran Gran watch Noku. She wouldn't mind." He placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly and his eyes seemed to plead with her.

"I suppose, for a bit." Keela said as they both stood up. Quickly, Keela gave Sokka a hug before jogging back to go find Noku.

It didn't take long to find him. She just had to follow the sound of laughter. He was entertaining a couple of children who laughed at just about anything. Noku spotted her and instantly ran for the comfort of her arms. She picked him up and swung him around only to place him on his feet once more and grab a hold of his hand. His was so small compared to hers.

"Noku, I'm going to leave you with Kana for a bit while I go… fishing for food." She didn't mention that she was going with friends but either way, fishing was the truth. Noku nodded that he understood but his grip became tighter. Was he afraid? She had always looked after him ever since their father left. Was he afraid she was going to leave him?

The two arrived just outside Kana's tent and when they entered, Sokka was already talking to her. The old woman stood up instantly, a small smile upon her lips. She reached out and took young Noku's hand and began to lead him to a pot of broth that was cooking on a small fire. Sokka took a hold of Keela's hands and began to lead her away from the tent. Noku held up his hand to wave goodbye, a sad look plastered on his face. Keela felt a sudden pull in her chest before disappearing after Sokka.

"You okay?" He asked and Keela reached up to realize she had tears in her eyes. She had been crying a lot today. The emotional feelings had left her vulnerable and so the tiniest bit of sadness made her bawl.

"I'm fine. I've never really left him before. It's new to me still," she said her voice hushed. She couldn't believe she was not with Noku at that very moment but suddenly relieved. She was out with friends around her own age and felt like she was being a normal girl. However, deep down, she knew she wasn't normal and knew there was something greater out there that she had yet to discover.

Katara was already by the canoe when Sokka and Keela arrived. She had everything packed along with a smile. She seemed excited and so Keela smiled back. Her cheeks still felt warm and so they were probably still red but it could easily be excused because of the bitter wind that began to blow. Sokka jumped in and the canoe began to rock. Once he was balanced he helped both Katara and Keela into the canoe and they were off.

Sokka used paddles but after a few minutes Keela told him to put it away. He was confused at first but she simply began to pull and push the water until the small boat was sailing quickly towards the fishing spot. Keela had never told them but they didn't act surprised. Katara had figured it out only because she was a waterbender as well and Sokka usually went with the flow at times.

Soon enough though they arrived and the whole boat went quiet. Sokka was trying to concentrate and Katara was practicing her bending. Keela watched as a bubble of water formed around a fish near Katara and she began to try and get Sokka's attention quickly. He wasn't paying attention but Keela was. The bubble began to break and Keela placed her arms on top of Katara's and began to move her hands in a flowing motion around the bubble of water. When she removed her hands, Katara continued and the bubble remained in the air. A giant grin was on her face causing Keela to smile. The fish was brought over Sokka's head and then dropped on top of him. Keela burst into laughter as did Katara and Sokka reached into his hood and pulled out a squirming fish. It slipped out of his hands and landed back into the water, swimming safely away from the hunters.

After laughing for what felt like ages, the three decided to get on a block of ice. Sitting in a canoe for long periods of time wasn't always the best thing to do. Keela and Katara were off practicing waterbending. There were a few things Katara didn't know that Keela did. She had practiced on her own and had kept it a secret for a long time but was glad to find someone else who was also a waterbender. Sokka decided to continue fishing from the ice and left the two girls alone.

"I never tried this before…" Katara said as she began to wave her arms and hands in an intricate pattern. Keela had done it many times before and it was a bit difficult at first but she got the hang of it and Katara would as well. The water began to rise and twist in all directions. Katara began to grow frustrated as the water wasn't going exactly where she wanted it to. Keela reached out but it was too late. The water recoiled back into the ocean but sprayed up against the giant iceberg in front of them. A large crack ran down the middle and their little ice floating on the water began to shake. Keela and Katara fell to the ice and clung to whatever they could. Sokka did the same as the iceberg broke into many different pieces and the whole thing collapsed. Snow fell around them and waves from the fall sent their ice float flying. Katara screamed and even Sokka let out a small yelp but Keela said nothing. Her lips were clamped shut and not a single word or sound could escape from them. Fortunately for them, they didn't flip over and so once everything settled down, Keela was the first to peek up to see what had happened.

"What were you thinking Katara!? Are you trying to get us all killed!? I knew I should have left you home! Leave it to a waterbender to screw things up!" Sokka yelled, arms flailing in the air. His face was already beginning to appear red from anger and Keela watched the two siblings. She was a waterbender. Was he talking about her as well?

"It was an accident!" Katara screamed back but something distracted them, something that hadn't been there until now. A glowing light seemed to make everything around them brighter in a way and Keela watched with utter amazement. It was something no one say everyday, probably never. Katara watched as well and Sokka's mouth opened wide in shock. It was an ice orb floating on top of the water.

"There's someone trapped inside!" Katara yelled and she pulled out Sokka's weapon and headed for the ice ball. Sokka ran after her with Keela close behind to try and stop her but it was too late. She took a swing at it and it cracked open with a sudden burst of light. Keela pulled her arm over her eyes to keep from being blinded. The light seemed to climb into the air and shone brightly, probably visible for miles.

**Somewhere hidden in the icebergs…**

A large metal steam boat moved quietly through the waters, plumes of black smoke from burning coal exited from a large cylindrical vent towards the top of the ship. A boy around sixteen clad in fire nation armor watched the large beam of light with awe. His left eye, scarred from an accident long ago, even opened wide with shock. It could only mean one thing to him. Muttering something under his breath he turned around, his face cold and hard.

"Uncle, do you know what this light means?" He said to a rather large stout man who continued to play his tile game without glancing up at the boy. The man stoked his grey beard as he placed a tile down on the table. "I won't be able to finish my game?" He replies wittingly.

The boy glares at his uncle before turning around once more and looking into the horizon where the beam of light vanished. His eyes narrowed. "It means my search is finally coming to an end." His uncle sighed and the boy turned around once more. "That light came from an excessive amount of power. It just has to be the avatar."

His uncle once more sighed as he matched up a tile in his game. Looking up finally he spoke, "We are in the south pole. It was probably the celestial lights. We've been down this road before Prince Zuko and I don't want you getting all worked up over nothing. Why don't you sit down with me and enjoy a nice relaxing cup of jasmine tea." He said as he reached for the teapot.

"I don't need a cup of tea! Set a course towards the light. I need to capture the avatar." He said growing frustrated with his uncle. He always doubted him at times but this time, deep down, Zuko knew it was the avatar. He needed to restore his honor and bring the avatar to his father. He had to.

**Back to where the light appeared…**

As the light vanished, Keela looked up to see that Sokka and Katara were both near her clinging to each other. Keela took a step forward. The ice continued to glow but was slowly fading. A shadow appeared at the top and Keela looked on with wide eyes. Sokka took out his spear she didn't even knew he had and held it at the ready. The figure stood at the top, his eyes and strange markings in the shapes of arrows on his body were still glowing but as soon as the glowing stopped, the boy collapsed. Katara broke free from the group and caught him. Sokka had taken the butt of his spear and began to poke his head.

"Sokka! What are you doing?" Katara said and Keela reached up and grabbed the spear away. She tossed it aside and he glared at her as though she had betrayed him. She gave him a strange look before turning back to the mysterious boy. There was something about him that was strange. His eyes fluttered open and Katara gasped with relief.

"I need to ask you something. Come closer." He asked his voice faint. Katara moved closer as did Keela and Sokka. They were all secretly curious as to why he was there and how he wasn't still frozen in the ice.

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" It was the strangest thing to ask especially when he had just been released from an ice berg. Keela stood up as did Sokka and Katara and stared down at him. He suddenly was lifted up as if by only air and they watched with awe and a bit of fear. Who was he?

"Why aren't you frozen?" Sokka asked as he poked the boy in the stomach with his spear he ha regained. The boy pushed it aside and shrugged. It seemed it was a mystery to him as much as it was to them.

A loud noise suddenly filled their ears. It was almost like a growling yet a roar as well. It was something Keela had never heard before. The boy scrambled up the ice and disappeared. Looking from Katara to Sokka, Keela was the first to begin walking the perimeter of the iceberg and as she rounded a corner, she saw the most incredible thing she had ever seen. It looked like a bison, but it seemed completely different than anything she could imagine. It had three legs on both sides and a long tail that looked more like a paddle. It was all white with a brown arrow on its forehead. There seemed to be a saddle on its back and reins on its horns.

"What is that thing!?" Sokka asked.

"This is Appa, my flying bison." He said it with such reassurance that Keela thought he was telling the truth. The thing was, there hadn't been a flying bison in over a hundred years so she felt that she couldn't believe him, unless he had been trapped there for that long which seemed impossible.

"This is Sokka, my brother and I'm Katara. That's Keela. You never told us your name." It seemed Katara decided to be the one to introduce them and Keela waved at the mention of her name.

"I'm Aa--." He suddenly stopped and they could tell he was about to sneeze. But something seemed different about this. As he exhaled and let out a large AH- CHOO the boy flew up into the air and Katara and Sokka ducked. Keela looked up and watched him fall right back down in front of them. "I'm Aang."

"You just sneezed, and flew twenty feet into the air!" Sokka said pointing out the obvious.

"Oh! You're an airbender!" Katara said and Keela took a step forward and looked him over a bit more. He had unusual clothing. It definitely wasn't earth nation or fire nation and sure wasn't water nation. The only thing left was air nation, except, there hadn't been an airbender in over a hundred years.

Aang nodded and Sokka grimaced. "Well, I'm going home now…" He stopped as he realized that all the ice around them had drifted away and his boat had disappeared from sight. Aang grinned. Pushing himself up with airbending, he sat down on top of Appa's head.

"I can give you a lift if you're stuck." He said. Katara nodded and began to head over to Appa's side. Keela followed and helped push Katara up. Aang reached down to help Keela onto the saddle.

"Oh no, I'm not getting on that monster." Sokka stated crossing his arms over his chest in defiance.

"So, you're going to wait for another monster to willingly give you a lift before you freeze to death?" Katara asked. Sokka stared at her attempting to figure out a comeback in his mind only to fail and climb up onto Appa's back. Aang held onto the reins and turned around to look at them.

"Alright, first time flyers hold on tight. Appa Yip yip!" He smacked the reins down and Appa stood up, his tail lifted into the air and he suddenly launched himself into the air. At first Keela thought he was actually going to fly as did Katara and Sokka only he plummeted to the ground and they began to swim.

"Appa's just tired." Aang said and so Keela just nodded. There wasn't much she could say. Aang was staring at her though with a goofy smile on his face and she tilted her head to the side and let her curls fall around her face.

"What?" she asked.

"You don't talk much… and I've never seen your color hair before." He replied. She looked down at her hands as her fingers fidgeted against one another. So he noticed her because she looked different huh? She felt suddenly sad.

"Neither have I…" she muttered before looking out on the ocean and the bison continued towards their village.


End file.
